The SCTS Student Engagement Day is the national day of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland for undergraduates considering a career in the specialty. After Leeds, Hull, Oxford, Cambridge and Keele, it comes to Scotland for the first time on Saturday 5 December 2026, at the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel, Clydebank, home of Scotland’s national heart and lung services. It is hosted by the Glasgow University Cardiovascular Society with the SCTS Student Education Committee, supported by the cardiovascular and surgical societies of Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and St Andrews, and by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.
Who should attend
The day is for medical students at any stage who are curious about cardiothoracic surgery, whether they are already set on the specialty or simply want to find out what it involves. No previous surgical experience is needed.
Morning
The day opens with a Presidential Address from the President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Talks from consultant surgeons then follow the specialty from birth to transplant: congenital heart surgery across low, middle and high income countries; the work of the SCTS across the four nations and Ireland; heart transplantation; and thoracic surgery. Each talk includes time for questions.
Lunch, posters and exhibition
A buffet lunch in the hotel’s restaurant is included in every ticket. Over lunch, shortlisted delegates present their research in a national poster competition judged by consultant surgeons. The winner receives a letter of recommendation from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and a set of surgical instruments from Wexler. Industry partners exhibit throughout the day, and patients from Aortic Dissection Awareness will share their experiences with delegates.
Hands-on workshops
The afternoon is the heart of the day. Delegates rank six workshops and attend three, each lasting one hour. Every workshop opens with a short introduction from the lead, then the group splits between two stations, each with a brief primer followed by hands-on teaching in small groups.
Valve: seating a prosthesis on a model aortic root, and mitral anatomy, repair and replacement.
Coronary: conduits and targets, and a distal coronary anastomosis on a simulator.
Aortic: aneurysm, dissection and graft selection, and a running anastomosis on a vascular graft.
Thoracic: thoracoscopic (VATS) instrument handling, and robotic-assisted surgery (RATS).
Congenital: two-ventricle and single-ventricle hearts, taught on 3D-printed models.
Advanced heart support: the intra-aortic balloon pump and the organ care system used in transplantation.
Workshops are taught by the consultants, clinical fellows and trainees who deliver cardiothoracic care in Scotland. For many delegates this will be their first hands-on experience of the specialty.
Panels and close
Current trainees give honest advice on selection, portfolio building and life in training. A panel of consultant surgeons then takes questions from the audience. At the close, poster prizes are awarded and each delegate sets one goal for the next 90 days. The day ends with a networking reception with faculty, and every delegate leaves with a goody bag from our partners.
Timings
08:00 Registration and coffee
09:00 Welcome and Presidential Address
09:30 Morning talks, with a coffee break
11:45 Lunch, poster competition and exhibition
12:45 Hands-on workshops, three rotations
16:30 Trainee panel
17:00 Consultant panel
17:30 Close and prizes
17:45 Networking reception until 19:00
After the day
We follow up with delegates at six weeks and 90 days to see how they are progressing towards their goals, and to learn how the day can improve.
Careers Programme
In parallel, a free Careers Programme brings secondary school pupils from Scotland’s most deprived communities into the Golden Jubilee for teaching on applying to medicine, 3D anatomy and basic surgical skills.